Monday, February 4, 2013

Energy Efficiency at Cadence

Cadence at The Lakes is dedicated to providing our customers with environmentally friendly, energy efficient homes that are designed for comfort, yet are easy on the pocket book.  That's why we're proud to announce our involvement with two well-known national energy efficiency initiatives:  Natural Resources Canada's ENERGY STAR®  Builder Program and BCHydro's Power Smart New Home Program.

As a qualified ENERGY STAR Builder, Cadence has committed to building homes that maximize energy efficiency and promote better overall performance.  In addition to our geothermal ground source heat pumps, we spec the following ENERGY STAR certified products in all of our homes:  refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines, windows, entry doors, sidelights, transoms, sliding glass doors, and compact fluorescent light bulbs, among other things.  According to Natural Resources Canada, "ENERGY STAR qualified new homes are designed to be approximately 25 percent more energy-efficient" and "reduce [greenhouse gas] emissions by approximately three tonnes per year" when compared to similar homes that are built to minimum building code requirements. 

In conjunction with the ENERGY STAR program, Cadence at The Lakes has also enrolled as a BCHydro Power Smart New Home Builder.  In order to qualify for the program, homes must be tested by a Certified Energy Advisor and score a rating of 80 or higher (out of 100) on the EnerGuide scale.  The EnerGuide Rating Service was developed by The Office of Energy Efficiency of Natural Resources Canada  and shows a standard measure of a home's energy  performance.   

To conduct the energy audits within our development, Cadence has partnered with Total Home Solutions Inc, an officially licensed home energy evaluator that operates across the country.  To date, our homes at Cadence have scored an average EnerGuide rating of 84.  According to Total Home, "for a brand new house, a rating of 80 or higher is excellent.  Relatively few houses achieve a rating of 80 or higher, and those that do represent the most energy-efficient houses on the market."  As you can see, anyone can claim that a house is energy efficient, but at Cadence, we have the ratings to back our claims up!          

Therefore, as a result of our involvement in both the ENERGY STAR and Power Smart New Homes programs, homeowners at Cadence can expect the following benefits:
  • lower energy bills ü
  • improved comfort ü
  • lower impact on the environment ü
  • government-backed quality assurance ü
  • a higher resale value ü

Additional information on these programs can also be found at the following links:

Life's good lived at your own rhythm!